A reformed gangster is released from prison and attempts to protect his family from his enemies.
Kabaleeswaran, a revolutionary who fights for the betterment of his race in a foreign land, is falsely implicated and thrown behind bars. When he returns after his prison term, he starts a search for his wife and ends up confronting those who were the reason behind his miseries. What follows is a tale of revenge, emotion, drama, jealousy, treason, loyalty, love and payback.—PipingHotViews
The Kabali movie deals with the plight of migrant Indian community, specifically the Tamilians, who lived in Malaysia. About 30 years back in time, many of the Indian laborers working in Malaysia, used to work as drug traffickers and goons under Chinese mafia gangs. One man, Kabaleeswaran alias Kabali (Rajanikanth), takes a stand for the betterment of his community. Himself a gang member working under gangster Sitaramaraj (Naazar), Kabali takes over the gang leadership on Sitaramaraj's untimely death. With the gang leadership, also come the rival gang confrontations especially with Gang43 lead by the ruthless drug lord Tony Woo (Winston Chao). In his position as a gang leader Kabali also aids his community. He founded the Free Life Foundation, a non-profit organization to help poor uneducated Indian laborers in Malaysia. However, the violence of heading a gang takes its toll on Kabali's family life, weaving into the movie a family element with the pursuit of Kabali's wife. The rest of the movie comprises of Kabali and Gang43 trying to overpower each other.—Sanjay Kumar V N
A Kuala Lumpur-based don Kabaleeswaran alias Kabali (Rajinikanth) is released after spending 25 years in prison on a false charge of starting a massacre at a local Hindu temple that killed many, including his wife Kumudhavalli alias Kumudha (Radhika Apte).
Kabali's opposite gang group '43' consists of 4 people: Tony Lee, a Malaysian gangster; Veerasekaran alias Veera, the second head of the gang; Loganathan alias Loga, the main drug supplier and Seeni (Lijeesh), who is the main money launderer. Kabali soon reunites with his old gang mate Ameer (John Vijay), where he also confronts Seeni and injures him badly.Kabali is staunchly anti-drugs and sees that in his absence, his rival Tony Lee (Winston Chao), has built a devastating drugs business using Indian school dropout kids. Kabali wants to kill the drug trade at any costs. He knows that Loganathan (Mime Gopi) runs the drug business for Tony Lee.He also removes senior people in his gang who are sympathetic to the drug trade and want to adopt it in their own gang.
Kabali immediately resumes charge of his old gang and soon confronts Loganathan alias Loga, a drug smuggler. Loga insults Kumudha, saying that she would have been sold into prostitution had she been alive. In retaliation, Kabali rams his car into Loga, killing him; however, the incident makes him believe that his wife may be still alive. He starts to search for a man named Velu (who killed his wife) and learns from an informant that when Kumudha was taken to hospital after the massacre, she was found to be alive and the last man to see her was Velu.
Later, Kabali survives an assassination attempt by Tamizh Kumaran alias Kumaran (Kalaiyarasan), whose father Tamilmaaran (Charles Vinoth) was killed by Kabali when Kumaran was a young boy. The next day, Kabali attends a function organized by the Free Life Foundation School, a school started by Ameer to reform youngsters involved in criminal activities. Tamizh Kumaran also works there as a teacher. Kabali talks about his past and mentions how the Tamil community in general have the "Crabs in the bucket mentality" which was the reason to his downfall.
Kabali was the protege of Tamilmaaran's father Tamilnesan (Nassar), a don who fought for the rights of the Tamil Malaysians. Tamilnesan took Kabali under his wings when he saw him fighting for the rights of his fellow plantation workers. Tamilnesan was killed by Veerasekaran alias Veera (Kishore) who is backed by his Chinese boss Tony Lee, who wants to take profits from the drugs and sex trades.
Tony Lee was also a part of Tamilnesan's gang but disliked his rules such as not involving in illegal activities like drug smuggling and prostitution. Following Tamilnesan's death, Kabali killed the Chinese leader responsible for the murder and took charge of Tamilnesan's gang. But Veera manipulated Tamilmaaran by telling him that he, being Tamilnesan's son, should lead the gang and not Kabali.
Tamilmaaran invited Kabali and a pregnant Kumudha for a temple function. However, this was revealed to be a trap as Veera and his men confronted Kabali and Kumudha at the function. In the ensuing scuffle, Kabali was brutally attacked while Kumudha was shot and seemingly killed by Tony Lee. Kabali then killed Tamilmaaran for his betrayal in front of a young Kumaran and was soon arrested on a false charge of instigating the massacre.
Kumaran, after hearing Kabali's speech, realizes his mistake and apologizes to him. He tells him that Velu (R. Amarendran), one of Veera's henchmen who was present at the temple massacre, is aware of what happened to Kumudha. Kabali then leaves for Thailand, where Velu is residing.
On confronting Velu, he learns that his daughter Yogitha Kabaleeswaran (Yogi) is still alive. At this juncture, Kabali is confronted by Yogi (Dhansika), a contract killer hired by Veera and his boss Tony Lee alias Tony (Winston Chao), who heads the rival Gang 43 in Kuala Lumpur, to eliminate Kabali. But Yogi instead kills the men who had come with her and reveals herself to Kabali as his daughter, who had been raised by Velu. She also tells him that Kumudha is still alive and is living with a French family in Puducherry. On that night, Tony Lee's henchman shot Kabali and was taken to the hospital. When Kabali recovers, he calls Tony Lee giving him a heads up that he is coming back to hunt him.
Kabali and Yogi then leave for Puducherry, where, after several days of searching, they reunite with Kumudha and spend a few days with her there. While in Puducherry, Kabali and his family are attacked by men sent by Tony. However, Kabali and Yogi fight them off and escape safely with Kumudha.
Kabali and his family soon return to Kuala Lumpur, where he is told that Ameer has been severely injured in a car accident set up by Tony; his henchman Jeeva (Dinesh) was brutally chopped to pieces by Tony after refusing to join the Gang 43; and the Gang 43 had destroyed the Free Life Foundation School and started to control the Kuala Lumpur underworld, eliminating any gang who dared to oppose them.
On hearing all this, Kabali decides to finish Veera and Tony once and for all. He and his family attend the 100th birthday party for a respected Malaysian don Ang Lee, who had invited all gangs, including the Gang 43. At the party, Kabali destroys the Gang 43's activities by providing a tip to the police. After this, Kabali kills Veera and instigates a gang-war where he, Yogi and Kumaran massacre Tony's gang. Eventually Kabali corners Tony and guns him down.
Some months later, Kabali, Kumudha, Kumaran, and Yogi attend a function organized by the Free Life Foundation. One of the Free Life alumni, a youngster named Tiger, who is known to be aggressive and reckless, walks up to Kabali, with scenes showing him speaking to the police prior to the function. The screen cuts to black, and the sound of a gun clicking, and a gunshot afterwards is heard.
